


Staying Close

by Revasnaslan



Series: Perfect Disaster AU [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Bodyguard Kolivan, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Prince Zarkon, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-11 17:31:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15977090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan
Summary: Zarkon and Kolivan are on vacation in the mountains, and the climate is not agreeing with either of them. For different reasons.





	Staying Close

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of the two fics that I wrote for the RarePair Flash Bang!! This takes place in my Kolivan Bodyguard AU, where Kolivan and Zarkon are childhood friends and later in life, Kolivan becomes Zarkon's personal bodyguard ;3c
> 
>  
> 
> **My Beta:**  
> [Vox](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/voxiferous)
> 
>  
> 
>  **My Artists**  
>  Arka | [Tumblr](https://xblackpaladin.tumblr.com/) | [Link to Art](https://xblackpaladin.tumblr.com/post/178556727250/staying-close-read-the-fic-here-zarkon-and)  
> Lidoshka | [Tumblr](http://lidoshka.tumblr.com/) | [Link to Art](http://lidoshka.tumblr.com/post/178531435197/art-for-the-story-staying-close-by-revasnaslan)

“Your Highness! Could you slow down, please?”

At the sound of Kolivan’s voice, Zarkon’s ears twitched, and he looked over his shoulder as his bodyguard came over the crest of the hill. They looked rather frazzled, fur standing on end and fluffed up in anxiety.

“You should be  _ staying close _ ,” Kolivan reminded him sternly, frowning as they stopped at his side. “I can’t protect you if you’re running off on me!”

Zarkon couldn’t help but snort at the comment, and he lightly patted the mace that was holstered at his hip. “I think I can handle myself, Kolivan…”

Kolivan sighed, rolling their eyes and shaking their head as they walked past him. As they both continued along the trail, Zarkon’s gaze drifted towards the horizon. Currently, he and Kolivan were  _ very _ slowly making their way up to the highest summit of the Devon mountain range. They had been climbing since just after the sun had begun to rise. Down below, the small town of Roven was hidden in the pass between the mountains. From here, Zarkon couldn’t see the cabin they had been staying in for the last week, though. He and his mothers had been coming here for vacation since he was a young cub, but it was the first time Kolivan had come along—their status as Zarkon’s bodyguard had finally provided a reason nobody could say no to Zarkon asking… he hoped they would like the summit.

“Your Highness!” Kolivan called from up ahead. They stood further along the trail, looking over their shoulder as they crossed their arms over their chest. The sun had risen higher in the sky, but it was still early, so the reddish-orange light caught in the white fluff of Kolivan’s ears.

Kolivan was still speaking, but Zarkon caught  _ none _ of it.

“—Highness? Zarkon!”

Zarkon snapped out of his daze, ears pinning back as Kolivan’s expression shifted to one of concern. “Sorry, what?”

“Are you alright, Your Highness?” Kolivan asked, tilting their head. “Is the heat getting to you? Do you need water?” As they spoke, they started digging through the bag on their back, looking for one of the canteens they had filled before leaving that morning.

“I-I’m fine, Kolivan,” Zarkon mumbled. “Now, how many times do I need to remind you to stop calling ‘Your Highness’?”

Kolivan looked up in surprise. “It’s only proper that I do,” they insisted as they fell in at his side.

“I would  _ prefer _ that you call me by my name,” Zarkon said, trying to keep the nervousness from his voice. “You being my bodyguard doesn’t change the fact we used to run around the palace gardens and pretend we were space pirates.”

Kolivan chuckled softly, as if they were recalling the memories themself. “Very well…” they conceded, and a small smile graced their lips as they glanced up at him again—Zarkon felt his heart stutter in his chest at the sight of it. “When we are alone, I will call you Zarkon.”

The next few hours were mostly filled with amicable silence. However, occasionally Kolivan would stop because they had spotted something they had read about in the Archives. From the losha fish that had swum through the air around them to the sydak fox that had dashed across the trail. It was very endearing, watching them ramble on excitedly and talk about how they never thought they’d actually ever to get to see these creatures in their natural habitat. As they neared the summit, though, Kolivan’s enthusiasm began to wane. The sun beating down had caused them to begin panting heavily. They had already pulled their headfur up into a bun to keep it off the back of their neck, but their fur was still drenched in sweat.

“How are you feeling?” Zarkon asked, catching himself before he could take hold of Kolivan’s hand. Instead, he gently rested his hand on their shoulder—he didn’t want them to push themselves if they needed to rest.

“I… I’m fine,” Kolivan said, motioning to the last bit of the hill they’d have to climb. “I can make it. We’re almost there.”

“Do you want some water anyway?” Zarkon suggested, already digging through the pack that Kolivan was carrying to look for the canteen.

Kolivan nodded. “Please,” they rasped.

After a little bit of digging, Zarkon managed to fish out the canteen and handed it over to Kolivan. They mumbled out a soft  _ thank you _ before starting to drink. After a couple of gulps, Kolivan poured some into their hand and worked it into the fur on the back of their neck. As the cool water soaked in, Kolivan let out a relieved sigh, and their ears relaxed against the sides of their head. Then, they seemed to notice Zarkon’s staring and glanced up to meet his gaze.

“Didn’t your mothers ever tell you that it’s impolite to stare, Zarkon?” Kolivan asked, tilting their head to the side. However, they seemed to be amused, rather than annoyed, judging by the twitching of their ears. “Shall we continue on?”

“Um, yes, of course,” Zarkon mumbled, turning away and already heading up the trail. The sun was at its height now, as he climbed up one last steep incline to reach the summit. When he looked behind him, he saw that Kolivan was struggling to haul themself up the last climb. Turning, he offered Kolivan his hand, and they eagerly took it, allowing Zarkon to pull them up the rest of the way. As he stepped back, though, Zarkon’s foot caught on a rock, and he stumbled, falling over onto his back. He grunted as Kolivan followed him, landing heavily on his chest and knocking their foreheads together.

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, neither of them moved. Zarkon could feel heat rising in his cheeks… their noses were almost brushing and Zarkon was struggling to find his breath. For their part, Kolivan’s ears had fluffed up in surprise.

“Sorry—sorry…” Kolivan said, hastily pushing themself off him. “Are you alright, Zarkon?”

Zarkon managed a cough, pushing himself up to sit. As he shifted, he hissed as pain shot through his ankle, and his claws dug into the dirt beneath his fingers.

“Zarkon?” Kolivan asked, sounding nervous. Their ears had shifted back completely.

“I’m fine,” Zarkon insisted, but when he tried to stand up, he stumbled. Kolivan rushed forward to catch him and then helped him to a shady spot at the side of the trail. Then, they started checking over his ankle as gently as they could. He still hissed when they applied too much pressure.

“Sprained,” Kolivan said, ears twitching nervously as they seemed to think. Then, they sighed. “Okay… we’ll wait until it cools down and then we’ll hike down.”

“Why?” Zarkon asked. “We should go now, while it’s still light out.” 

“Because I’m going to carry you,” Kolivan said nonchalantly as they stood and began looking over their surroundings. If they noticed how Zarkon’s blush deepened at the suggestion, they didn’t let on. Their ears perked suddenly. “There’s a river just over there, thank the stars…”

Zarkon tilted his head. “Why… do we need a river?”

“Because  _ I _ am going to take a bath since we’re going to be up here for another couple vargas,” Kolivan said, digging through their pack. “My fur feels like it’s covered in grime.”

Zarkon remained silent, averting his gaze to his lap. When Kolivan asked him if he would be alright on his own for a little while, he nodded. Kolivan was gone for nearly a varga, which left Zarkon to do little more than twiddle his thumbs. When Kolivan returned, their fur was clean, but it was fluffed up, sticking at odd angles, but they seemed to be much more content than they had been a varga prior. They both mostly sat in silence, although Kolivan would occasionally point out wildlife as they tried to pat their fur dry with a spare towel from their bag.

It wasn’t until many vargas later that Kolivan decided it was finally time to start their descent down the mountain. The sun was much lower in the sky now, and the air had cooled considerably. Kolivan seemed to be in much higher spirits because of that alone. Zarkon tried not to blush as he was scooped up by Kolivan under his knees and arms, and he hastily wrapped his arms around Kolivan’s shoulders.

He must have failed spectacularly at keeping a blush at bay, as Kolivan’s ears were twitching in amusement.

“Did the heat get to you too?” Kolivan teased lightly.

Zarkon cleared his throat awkwardly. “Perhaps a little bit,” he admitted as they started down the trail.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)


End file.
